- Joined
- Dec 29, 2008
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I've been thinking a lot about the issue of Rotation and the AAMC MCAT required study plan, an issue that comes up frequently here at SDN, thinking a lot about Reactions of Alkenes and Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution as well. For rotation, truly I wish AAMC would produce a suggested study plan that included Rotation, but given the onerousness of the exam, include some guidance to give students a sigh of relief about solving rotation physics problems, in themselves, in their sense as traditional quantitative problems. AAMC made these changes in the last decade, along with a few other topics, I think, after looking at the cost-benefit algorithm for mastery of them in MCAT review, what students have to give up in a limited time frame. This is what I think. As with problem solving using the quantities involving radians in Rotation, for alkenes, mastering Markovnikov's rule, all of the mechanistic distinctions, knowing the anti-Markovnikov reactions, was probably judged to take too many days in MCAT Review. Their questions in the topics were producing statistical noise, I think, where otherwise excellent tests were being spoiled in the topics. There is a lot more molecular biology to know these days than there used to be.
My feeling is that MCAT review has an incredibly valuable educational function to get you ready for medical school, and that these topics are important to any general review of undergraduate science prior to medical school. I will include Rotation at WIkiPremed until my last day on Earth, no matter what AAMC says, although I am now calling it 'somewhat optional'. It's so important. It may seem far-flung, but you don't know much about molar heat capacity, for example, if you haven't addressed the different kinds of motion, that motion may be not only translational, but also can involve rotation - and also vibrational. You won't be able to understand the static equilibrium of a solid body without rotation concepts. I will never surrender. Premeds should spend at least some time on rotation in MCAT review.
I feel the same way about alkenes and electrophilic aromatic substitution. These forms are all over the biochemistry. Both alkene and aromatic reactions are crucial to understanding respiration, for example. Respiration is on the AAMC list. What does mastery mean? Without a good sense of the transitions in aromatic reactions between aromatic and merely conjugated products, you can not get inside NADH, the flavins, and ubiquinone in any meaningful way.
I've written back and forth a few times with Todd, one of the founders at Berkeley Review over the years. Though we haven't discussed it specifically, from those talks I think a similar philosophy about this content, and MCAT preparation in general, is what keeps the topics in the Berkeley Review materials. For folks using those materials, I hope this helps you with a good disposition to get through those topics in a relaxed way. My advice is to study these topics without putting yourself on the hook, because they are essential to integrated scientific understanding, but let yourself off the fear. Look at them, but not the way you look at Solution Chemistry or Reactions of Acyl Compounds. For AAMC topics, the MCAT expects specific problem solving skills and specific kinds of conceptual understanding. For crucial non AAMC topics, like Rotation or Alkenes, I suggest that you should study, but somewhat lightly, making sure you understand the main ideas.
My feeling is that MCAT review has an incredibly valuable educational function to get you ready for medical school, and that these topics are important to any general review of undergraduate science prior to medical school. I will include Rotation at WIkiPremed until my last day on Earth, no matter what AAMC says, although I am now calling it 'somewhat optional'. It's so important. It may seem far-flung, but you don't know much about molar heat capacity, for example, if you haven't addressed the different kinds of motion, that motion may be not only translational, but also can involve rotation - and also vibrational. You won't be able to understand the static equilibrium of a solid body without rotation concepts. I will never surrender. Premeds should spend at least some time on rotation in MCAT review.
I feel the same way about alkenes and electrophilic aromatic substitution. These forms are all over the biochemistry. Both alkene and aromatic reactions are crucial to understanding respiration, for example. Respiration is on the AAMC list. What does mastery mean? Without a good sense of the transitions in aromatic reactions between aromatic and merely conjugated products, you can not get inside NADH, the flavins, and ubiquinone in any meaningful way.
I've written back and forth a few times with Todd, one of the founders at Berkeley Review over the years. Though we haven't discussed it specifically, from those talks I think a similar philosophy about this content, and MCAT preparation in general, is what keeps the topics in the Berkeley Review materials. For folks using those materials, I hope this helps you with a good disposition to get through those topics in a relaxed way. My advice is to study these topics without putting yourself on the hook, because they are essential to integrated scientific understanding, but let yourself off the fear. Look at them, but not the way you look at Solution Chemistry or Reactions of Acyl Compounds. For AAMC topics, the MCAT expects specific problem solving skills and specific kinds of conceptual understanding. For crucial non AAMC topics, like Rotation or Alkenes, I suggest that you should study, but somewhat lightly, making sure you understand the main ideas.
